I could use some PC help (off topic)

[engineerkyle]

I really need a nickel’s worth of free advice. My hard drive on my PC will not boot up. I’m pretty sure the system files are bad, and there is a lot of work on there that is very valuable and I need to save it.

I’m pretty sure the operating system is Windows XP. I don’t have the original system disk but I do have access to other computers.

From my DOS days I remember a command that went like this    C:format a:/s

That command would make a disk bootable. I’m thinking is I had such a disk with the 2 system files on it I could restart my computer with that, then see about backing up crucial data and Hard Drive replacement or other things.

Will that work on today’s computers? Is there a similar command to make a “boot disk”?

Thanks in advance

Kyle Engelmann

[pdlethbridge]

Do not format the drive. you'll wipe it clean. You may have picked up a virus.
If you think it may be something else, go here
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/bootprob1.html If there are still issues PM me

[engineerkyle]

I was gonna format the A:disk to make a bootable drive. This command will not affect the hard drive.

Other thoughts?


Thanks for the website!

[C.P.R.R. Manager]

If it's Windows XP, you can format a floppy by opening My Computer, right-clicking on the A: icon [usually at the top], and then picking format on the drop-down menu.  I think there is an option to make the disk bootable.  I can't test it, since I can't find any floppies around here.

Or, remove the hard drive in question, and install it as a secondary drive in another PC.  That should give you time to back up your data, assuming that the hard drive isn't dead.  And it might be.

Always back up your data, especially your train data!

[Terry Toenges]

CPRR - If his hard drive won't boot up, I don't think he can access "My Computer".

[pacifier]

I still run old Win98SE. That allows me to boot off the WIN98 cd-rom. After the boot it asks if you want to continue with setup. Your answer would be NO. The next screen that comes up is the black DOS screen from which you can copy your files to other disks. I don't know if this can be done with WIN XP, but it might be worth checking into.

[engineerkyle]

An update...

I picked up two CPU's from IT that have a Pentium 550? and Windows XP. I'm sure I can get the bad hard drive in one of them as a slave and see if I can recover anything. I was also informed of a freeware program called "The Ultimate Bootable CD" I downloaded it, and that looks pretty good too. I think I'll try that before I get out the screwdriver.

If all that doesn't work, it's off to Best Buy for a whole new 'puter.

The file I'll miss the most is my Excel program, which I actually gave to a couple interested guys here. I'm gonna look them up and see if they still have it. I think I'll get a data "stick" for future backups. Of course, many pictures, movies and such and backed up (if you will) on the Internet.

It's not too bad. Weekend project. THANKS for all the ideas!

[engineerkyle]

Another update....

Well Gentlemen,

I’ve got the bad drive in the good computer and made it a slave. Good news and bad news; I’ve got a D:\ prompt… however; I get a CYCLIC REDUNDANCY CHECK when I try to access it.

I did a CHKDSK/F D: command at the DOS prompt and got about 32 unreadable file records segments, 2 deleted orphan files (276, 5296) and this ominous message.

UNREADABLE MASTER FILE TABLE

Do you all have any more suggestions before I deep six it?

Thanks in advance,

Kyle

[pdlethbridge]

MASTER FILE TABLE is the way the hard drive stores info. The most common are FAT( file allocation table) 16, FAT 32 and NTFS ( new technology file system) When you get that message the computer can't tell which one the hard drive has.
Try a Google search of "UNREADABLE MASTER FILE TABLE"
There is a lot of info available.

[Hunt]

Call the computer repair shops convenient to you. They should be able to recover most, if not all, your data files or can tell you who to contact.

No convenient help, then contact http://www.drivesavers.com/

[conradin]

I'm sorry about your PC problem.

When you get the PC running again make sure you do this:
1. Buy partition Magic program and create two extra partitions...one of them have to be around the size of around 2G, the other, as big as possible.  The   
program allow you to adjust the sizes of any partition of your hard drive.
2.  Move all the datafiles (not executable programs) into the bigger extra partition.  Run all programs and set them up so that whenever they save any datas, the datas are going to that extra big partition (lets call that the data partition from now on).
3.  Wipe out all the data files in the bootable (operating system) partition.  That leaves only the program files and the OS system on the operating system bootable partition.
4.  Buy Norton Ghost, extract the standalone ghost program, then copy the program to a floppy, and copy the program to the new extra partition.
3. Perform Ghost on your bootable partition, with the resulting ghostfile residing in the extra smaller partition (let's call it the ghost partition from now on).  The ghostfile is a snapshot of what your bootable partition is.  It is like a backup, but is compact into one single file.
4. Burn a CD or DVD (depends on the size of the ghostfile) of that ghost file, and make sure the resulting CD or DVD is bootable with also the ghost program loaded into it.

That's it.  So next time your computer dies, simply pop in the bootable ghostfile CD, and the computer will boot into that CD.   Run the ghost program inside the CD and you will instantly restore your computer back to the moment the ghostfile was created.

A.  If you have extra space, perform the samething to the data partition.  So if the data partition is damaged, pop in the data partition ghostfile CD, and restore the image into the data partition.  The data partition will look exactly the same as the moment you performed the ghost operation.

Alternate: Buy a super cheap computer, run it on win98SE in the most primitive mode.  Have it networked (either by ethernet, or serial connection).  Then every week or so you simply copy the data from the data partition into the win98SE piece of junk.  If something happened, you simply can get the data back from that machine.  The advantage of this style is that if you know how to script, you can have this data backup transfer done automatically at a time interval that you can choose without disturbing your working computer.  For a ghosting operation, you must shut down your operating computer, essentially you will boot it in the ghost OS. 

Memory sticks are good alternative, but it does have the risk of being lost, or damaged accidentally by magnetic force.  Tape drives are excellent only if you plan to run a behemoth machines...

Hope this help and being not too geeky.

PS.  Because I ghost, I never bother to set up or buy any antivirus program.  If things happens, all I did is to perform a ghost restore, and within 15 minutes I am back in business again. 

PPS. If you are comfortable with linux or similar operating system, see if you can set up the backup machine in that OS.  This is because you never know which data that you downloaded or created is the culprit or trojan horse.  By storing the datas in a non Windows machine, the virus basically is disabled. 

[Craig]

Terry,

Kyle said he had access to other machines and CPRR advised him to use one to create a disk.

Kyle,

If you have XP on that machine, why can't you access the recovery console via F12?

[engineerkyle]

Not really, I'm up and running. I could not recover the software myself, but I've got this new PC up and running at 90% of what I had. It was a project. You don't realize (at least, I didn't realize,) how much software is unique to a particular PC)

I had to find downloads for printer drivers and Zoombrowser EX. I still haven't got the right version on the later. All the preferences had to be reselected, etc.

It was quite a pain.

I found older versions of my excel programs in sent email, and I can recode them from there. My IT guys will take the bad hard drive and see what they can get off of it.

THANKS for the tips and concern guys!

[SWARTWOUT]

 :)For great file back-up, use a remote hard drive for a bit over 100 bucks depending on size .  Connection is simply a USB cable.  Your computer will do the rest.  Very easy and fast.